A Townsville Dog Squad officer and his police dog are lucky to be alive after hoons attempted to run them down in a stolen vehicle. And last week, a stolen ute was clocked racing the streets at speeds of 235km/h.

"Two years ago, my house was broken into; they came in with golf clubs, they took an Xbox, some games and cigarettes.

"There's no repercussions for their actions, they're not scared to do it again. Some of the parents have tried to control their kids but they just run away. I'm worried someone is going to take the law into their own hands."

Member for Thuringowa Sam Cox (R) and Member for Townsville John Hathaway (L) are joined by Police Minister Jack Dempsey last July to launch a Crime Action Plan to tackle crime head on and reduce crime rates.Source: Supplied

Townsville mayor Jenny Hill said the north-eastern coastal community was "fed up and waiting for the state to deal with this".

"Whatever we are doing isn't working," she said. "We don't have the capacity within the council to provide too much support. It's a law and order issue that falls on the shoulders of state representatives and police."

Ms Hill has pointed the blame at the Queensland Government for not looking into the matter as promised.

"This is a state issue, a number of commitments were made during the state election, obviously the issue hasn't gone away," she said.

"I want to give the opportunity for the state members to keep their commitments to see what they'll do. I think that's only fair, but the patience within the community is running out.

"We run our own security patrols for our parks, we have CCTV, but ultimately this has nothing to do with that. This has everything to do with stolen cars and high speed chases."

Six-year-old Kyla Tuohy joins in the protest at a rally at the local Children's Court to show their outrage against weak sentences for juvenile offenders earlier this month. (Pic: Zak Simmonds)Source: Supplied

Queensland MP Sam Cox - the Member for Thuringowa, a suburb and commercial hub of western Townsville - is calling for a "top to bottom" review of the youth justice system.

Tougher penalties, a review of police pursuit powers, the introduction of penalties for juveniles who breach bail conditions and the naming of repeat offenders are among the ideas being considered, with Townsville residents expected to play a key role in the review.

Mr Cox described the latest outbreak of youth crime as "outrageous" and has the backing of Mundingburra MP and Local Government Minister David Crisafulli for his youth justice shake-up.

"I met with (Townsville police) Inspector Ian Haughton who filled me in on what has been going on … and I have no words," Mr Cox said.

"To hear about young kids in stolen cars doing 235km/h in an 80km/h zone, hoons trying to run down a police officer.

"We need a full review of the youth justice system, the penalties, if the police need more powers and support to pursue these people doing dangerous speeds."

Townsville Crime alerts members conducted a rally at the local Children's Court during the lunch break to show their outrage against weak sentences for juvenile offenders earlier this month. (Pic: Zak Simmonds)Source: Supplied

State MP Crisafulli said there was "no denying action was needed" to address the youth crime problem in Townsville.

"We can dance around it all we like but there is an issue and the sad part is that it is always the same small percentage of protected species that are doing the damage," he said.

"Just because they are young doesn't mean they can't rip an innocent person's life to shreds."

State Attorney-General Jarrod Bleijie has confirmed he will visit Townsville next week to discuss the concerns of the local community.

"I am well aware of the issues facing the region and will travel to Townsville next Wednesday, February 27, to meet with local members and their constituents to discuss their concerns," he said in a statement.

"As part of its second six month action plan, January – June 2013, the Government has made a commitment to get tough on youth crime and commence a formal review of the Youth Justice Act 1992.

Given the current situation, Townsville residents will play a key role in this review.

Torhild Parkinson of Townsville Crime Alerts, a Facebook community forum that held a rally outside Townsville Magistrates Court on Wednesday, said the time for action is now.

"We don't have the time to sit around while they do a review," she said. "Residents have had enough. If they want to make changes just do it."

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Comments on this story

mangajack of Petrie Posted at 3:26 PM February 22, 2013

Ultimately, the parents are scared of their kids because it is illegal to administer punishment. The kids know they can't be chastised legally.
Solve the laws on parenting and you will turn this around.

chazz of Texas, USA Posted at 3:21 PM February 22, 2013

We have this issue in Texas as well, at least three or four times a year. We find that if you catch them and lock them up it works very well.

Gill of NSW Posted at 3:19 PM February 22, 2013

Um well when you allow your child to be in charge of you (the parent) from birth, what exactly do you expect will happen! You have a brat with a capital B on your hand. Boarding School, maybe! Where there is a routine, and expectations on how you are expected to behave.
It's really simple to resolve, children committing criminal acts, should have an invoice sent to the parents instructing them to pay up. It would only take half a dozen or so cases of parents being bankrupted from their ill disciplined offspring, and I'm sure that others following the court outcomes would notice the precedent, and would have a rather sudden urge to take responsibility for their children's whereabouts day and night.

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